The long, steady slide from 1934 to 2005

From "The Continental" in 1934, to "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" in 2005, behold this chronology of Best Song winners at the Oscars. Of course every decade has its occasional dogs, but on average it looks like mebbe 1972 was a critical turning point downward... Doom-ily and gloomily yours, jb ;-)

1934 * "The Continental" from The Gay Divorcee—Music by Con Conrad; Lyrics by Herb Magidson

1935 * "Lullaby of Broadway" from Gold Diggers of 1935—Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Al Dubin

1936 * "The Way You Look Tonight" from Swing Time—Music by Jerome Kern; Lyrics by Dorothy Fields

1937 * "Sweet Leilani" from Waikiki Wedding—Music and Lyrics by Harry Owens

1938 * "Thanks for the Memory" from The Big Broadcast of 1938—Music by Ralph Rainger; Lyrics by Leo Robin

1939 * "Over the Rainbow" from The Wizard of Oz—Music by Harold Arlen; Lyrics by E. Y. Harburg

1940 * "When You Wish upon a Star" from Pinocchio—Music by Leigh Harline; Lyrics by Ned Washington

1941 * "The Last Time I Saw Paris" from Lady Be Good—Music by Jerome Kern; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II

1942 * "White Christmas" from Holiday Inn—Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin

1943 * "You'll Never Know" from Hello, Frisco, Hello—Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Mack Gordon

1944 * "Swinging on a Star" from Going My Way—Music by James Van Heusen; Lyrics by Johnny Burke

1945 * "It Might As Well Be Spring" from State Fair—Music by Richard Rodgers; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II

1946 * "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" from The Harvey Girls—Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer

1947 * "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" from Song of the South—Music by Allie Wrubel; Lyrics by Ray Gilbert

1948 * "Buttons and Bows" from The Paleface—Music and Lyrics by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans

1949 * "Baby, It's Cold Outside" from Neptune's Daughter—Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser

1950 * "Mona Lisa" from Captain Carey, U.S.A.—Music and Lyrics by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston

1951 * "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" from Here Comes the Groom—Music by Hoagy Carmichael; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer

1952 * "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin')" from High Noon—Music by Dimitri Tiomkin; Lyrics by Ned Washington

1953 * "Secret Love" from Calamity Jane—Music by Sammy Fain; Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster

1954 * "Three Coins in the Fountain" from Three Coins in the Fountain—Music by Jule Styne; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn

1955 * "Love Is a Many-Spendored Thing" from Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing—Music by Sammy Fain; Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster

1956 * "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)" from The Man Who Knew Too Much—Music and Lyrics by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans

1957 * "All The Way" from The Joker Is Wild—Music by James Van Heusen; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn

1958 * "Gigi" from Gigi—Music by Frederick Loewe; Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner

1959 * "High Hopes" from A Hole in the Head—Music by James Van Heusen; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn

1960 * "Never On Sunday" from Never on Sunday—Music and Lyrics by Manos Hadjidakis

1961 * "Moon River" from Breakfast at Tiffany's—Music by Henry Mancini; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer

1962 * "Days of Wine and Roses" from Days of Wine and Roses—Music by Henry Mancini; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer

1963 * "Call Me Irresponsible" from Papa's Delicate Condition—Music by James Van Heusen; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn

1964 * "Chim Chim Cher-ee" from Mary Poppins—Music and Lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman

1965 * "The Shadow of Your Smile" from The Sandpiper—Music by Johnny Mandel; Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster

1966 * "Born Free" from Born Free—Music by John Barry; Lyrics by Don Black

1967 * "Talk to the Animals" from Doctor Dolittle—Music and Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse

1968 * "The Windmills of Your Mind" from The Thomas Crown Affair—Music by Michel Legrand; Lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman

1969 * "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid—Music by Burt Bacharach; Lyrics by Hal David

1970 * "For All We Know" from Lovers and Other Strangers—Music by Fred Karlin; Lyrics by Robb Royer (aka Robb Wilson) and James Griffin (aka Arthur James)

1971 * "Theme from Shaft" from Shaft—Music and Lyrics by Isaac Hayes

1972 * "The Morning After" from The Poseidon Adventure—Music and Lyrics by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn

1973 * "The Way We Were" from The Way We Were—Music by Marvin Hamlisch; Lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman

1974 * "We May Never Love Like This Again" from The Towering Inferno—Music and Lyrics by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn

1975 * "I'm Easy" from Nashville—Music and Lyrics by Keith Carradine

1976 * "Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)" from A Star Is Born—Music by Barbra Streisand; Lyrics by Paul Williams

1977 * "You Light Up My Life" from You Light Up My Life—Music and Lyrics by Joseph Brooks

1978 * "Last Dance" from Thank God It's Friday—Music and Lyrics by Paul Jabara

1979 * "It Goes Like It Goes" from Norma Rae—Music by David Shire; Lyric by Norman Gimbel

1980 * "Fame" from Fame—Music by Michael Gore; Lyric by Dean Pitchford

1981 * "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" from Arthur—Music and Lyric by Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, Christopher Cross and Peter Allen

1982 * "Up Where We Belong" from An Officer and a Gentleman—Music by Jack Nitzsche and Buffy Sainte-Marie; Lyric by Will Jennings

1983 * "Flashdance...What a Feeling" from Flashdance—Music by Giorgio Moroder; Lyric by Keith Forsey and Irene Cara

1984 * "I Just Called to Say I Love You" from The Woman in Red—Music and Lyric by Stevie Wonder

1985 * "Say You, Say Me" from White Nights—Music and Lyric by Lionel Richie

1986 * "Take My Breath Away" from Top Gun—Music by Giorgio Moroder; Lyric by Tom Whitlock

1987 * "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" from Dirty Dancing—Music by Franke Previte, John DeNicola and Donald Markowitz; Lyric by Franke Previte

1988 * "Let the River Run" from Working Girl—Music and Lyric by Carly Simon

1989 * "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid—Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Howard Ashman

1990 * "Sooner Or Later (I Always Get My Man)" from Dick Tracy—Music and Lyric by Stephen Sondheim

1991 * "Beauty and the Beast" from Beauty and the Beast—Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Howard Ashman

1992 * "A Whole New World" from Aladdin—Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Tim Rice

1993 * "Streets of Philadelphia" from Philadelphia—Music and Lyric by Bruce Springsteen

1994 * "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from The Lion King—Music by Elton John; Lyric by Tim Rice

1995 * "Colors of the Wind" from Pocahontas—Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz

1996 * "You Must Love Me" from Evita—Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber; Lyric by Tim Rice

1997 * "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic—Music by James Horner; Lyric by Will Jennings

1998 * "When You Believe" from The Prince of Egypt—Music and Lyric by Stephen Schwartz

1999 * "You'll Be In My Heart" from Tarzan—Music and Lyric by Phil Collins

2000 * "Things Have Changed" from Wonder Boys—Music and Lyric by Bob Dylan

2001 * "If I Didn't Have You" from Monsters, Inc.—Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

2002 * "Lose Yourself" from 8 Mile—Music by Eminem, Jeff Bass and Luis Resto; Lyric by Eminem

2003 * "Into the West" from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King—Music and Lyric by Fran Walsh and Howard Shore and Annie Lennox

2004 * "Al Otro Lado Del R